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US presidential candidate Joe Biden resists allegations of abuse. Image: AP
Biden defends himself against abuse allegations: “That never happened”
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden vehemently resists allegations of sexual assault in the 1990s. “You are not true. That never happened, “said the former vice president of the United States on Friday. Biden was the first to comment on the accusations against him that overshadowed his election campaign against President Donald Trump.
The accusations go back a long way: A former Biden-era employee as a U.S. senator, Tara Reade, accuses the now 77-year-old of having slammed her against a wall in a Senate building in 1993, grabbed her from under her skirt and she was with her fingers inside. penetrated Biden’s election campaign had already clearly rejected the allegations, but the Democrat has so far been silent about it.
Now he made two statements: first in a written statement, then in an interview with the MSNBC station. If the women made such allegations, they should be heard and investigated, Biden said. “But only the truth counts.” And in this case, the claims are simply false. There are many inconsistencies in it, you have to investigate.
Reade had made his allegations public on a podcast several weeks ago. Subsequently, the American media, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, began investigating, speaking with Reade, the woman’s partner at the time and former Biden employees. They found no clear evidence of their representation. The woman’s accounts raise some questions. Recently, however, more and more pieces of information reached the public, increasing pressure on Biden to break his silence.
Reade had trusted several people, including his mother, who has since died. Her brother, who is reported to be 56 years old about the incident at the time, did not immediately confirm the Washington Post account. Another person in the area said Reade reported the incident at the time, but that person wanted to remain anonymous. Employees of Biden’s Senate office, whom the woman also claims to have trusted, expressly rejected her account.
Biden referred to the statements of his former employees: dozens were interviewed and none confirmed the information.
Reade also claimed to have filed a complaint about the incident. Now he is asking Biden to release archived documents from his time in the Senate. Biden objected that the archived documents from his years in the Senate did not contain personnel files. “I am sure there is nothing there,” he said. “I do not have anything to hide”. If the woman actually filed an official complaint with a Senate office, this can only be found in the National Archives. But he knew nothing about the fact that such a complaint had once been made against him.
Biden said he did not know why Reade was making the allegations. “I don’t understand,” she said, but emphasized, “I will not attack her.”
Joe Biden was Vice President of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. Image: EPA
On Monday, a report from the “Business Insider” portal had been read by a former neighbor, Reades, and a former colleague from another Senate office, whom Reade also claims to have told about the incident in the 1990s. In previous interviews Reade had not mentioned these two women as possible supports for their representation.
Also, a year ago, like many other women, she had publicly complained that Biden had approached her inappropriately in the past. At the time, however, there were no comments on the sexual assault now underway. The reason given was that a year ago, he had not had the courage to speak publicly about the attack.
Last spring, shortly before the announcement of his presidential application, several women had publicly complained that Biden had become too close to them against their will in the past, for example, through unwanted caresses, such as slapping. on the thigh or a kiss on the back of the head. At the time, the Democrat initially said stoically that he did not believe he had behaved inappropriately. Only later, in view of mounting public pressure, did he promise an improvement and promised: “I will be more attentive and respectful of people’s personal space in the future.” Times would have changed.
The new charges are out of time for him. After the withdrawal of left-wing senator Bernie Sanders, Biden has already been chosen as Trump’s appointed democratic challenger in the elections in early November. His official free style as a candidate is to stay at a party convention in the summer. Trump’s election campaign has long used Reade’s accusations to attack Biden. On Thursday, Trump also spoke for the first time and asked Biden to comment on the allegations. “It could be false accusations,” said Trump. He has already experienced something like this.
Several women have accused Trump of sexual harassment and rape, all of which he rejected. During the 2016 election campaign, an old sound recording was also made public, in which Trump spoke suggestively and degradingly about women, and the fact that he could touch her anywhere. He was chosen anyway. It must be shown how damaging Reades’ accusations are to the Biden campaign. (sda / dpa)
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